otherworldqueen

“ color me surprised, I assumed you would have written up some excuse to send by letter to our gracious host on why you couldn’t attend. “ a glass flute filled halfway with cherry hued wine was held between fingers of right hand while left lifted to brush across her companions’ arm as soon as the violet eyes sought them out surround by a crowd of eager nobles akin to scavengers to a corpse, the witch had to rescue them from such a fate, the poor dear looked suffocated and so she hooked her arm with theirs and strolled to another side of the ballroom. “ did they threaten you? coax you? someone you love held hostage? are you spying on them? “ the words kept coming out of painted lips curved into that of a half moon, merely amused and not at all disturbed by the inquiries nor whatever answer was gifted to her ear. looked for it to be entertaining at least. “ or maybe….you wanted to see me? got a bargain caught on the tongue? don’t look so, I was only teasing.“

the drink raised towards her ruby lips, that without the alcoholic scent in the way would appear metallic, fresh, and if there was one missing guest? baba yaga was not to blame on certain hungers. 

.

“threaten me? to attend a party and have a good time?” naveen laughs, flushed from alcohol and grinning at the masked woman upon his arm. “have i really been swallowed by so many kingly duties that people think i dread a social gathering?”

easygoing charm comes to naveen as easily as the silver spoon lodged behind his teeth. it is dangerous to never look where he leaps, but that is exactly how the king has found himself upon baba yaga’s side. 

“finding myself in conversation with a beautiful woman is quite a bargain in and of itself, no?” he teases, eyes reflecting none of the fear that he should be bearing. after all, when have compliments not steered naveen in the right direction?

hades doesn’t break in composure, even when earth shattering words leave hecate’s mouth. his gaze tilts - away from her red eyes. and instead, he studies the wooden grooves in his desk, charred from the occasional fits of anger. 

“i just keep thinking about it... and it hurts, so much.” she all but whispers. the dam breaks and pressure of ‘who hurts less’ gives under the weight of hecate’s words. she doesn’t need to say what it is. there are countless memories that hang between them; lived within the confines of shared cigarettes, and wordless touches. it had always been easy to laugh and go to who might as well have been an advisor of sorts. but now, hades keeps his hands tucked into his elbows. 

“i know i shouldn’t, but i miss you.” and oh, hades wishes she hadn’t just said that. he searches for words, but only comes up with a sigh that catches in his throat. moments like these are stark reminders of how deep his wading has gone in every god’s pool of selfishness. 

“i didn’t think i would have left such a mark on you.” he admits, practically feeling the jagged edge of hecate’s glowing, red stare of disbelief. she is a product of the power and despair that had initially come with hades’ crown. there is temptation in the never-ending wealth that pours from his fingers, and far too many weak souls to use and abuse for his own pleasure. hecate; a friendly, beautiful face to a royally minted king that had just been poisoned by the sinful luxury of a disgusting underworld. 

oh...he’s the asshole, isn’t he? but he must be, it’s too late in this mess not to be - 

“...look -” hades’ attempts to salvage are met with a frigid wall as hecate looks away. he forces himself to not focus on the tears brimming in her eyes, ignoring the slice of guilt that wiggles into his chest. 

“ - hecate.” he says softly. “...i never should have...changed our professional relationship the way i did. and, where we are right now...” idly, his thumb brushes across the golden band around his ring finger. “...professional...is where we need to be.”

hades closes his eyes, making it so much easier to force his voice to err transactional for both of their sakes. “so please...have your latest necromancy report on my desk by tomorrow’s sunrise.” the slight tremor in hades’ fingers is stilled when he grips his lapels, straightening an invisible wrinkle. 

his eyes don’t open until long after hecate disappears from his office.

“but that is simply not true,” naveen starts, before lottie even has a chance to finish her sentence. there are tears brimming in doe eyes, and he is quick to take her hand into his own in an attempt to soothe her. naveen breaks into a reassuring smile, carefully smoothing her knuckles with a thumb.

“you have tiana, no? she loves you.” he reminds lottie, regarding her with mild worry. carefully, he brings the woman closer into his arms. she smells of the sweet confections that constantly grace the air of tiana’s palace. “and if the scent of beignets wasn’t enough, i’d think you know that.” 

“not to mention, you will always have me.” the curve of his lips is warm, and bordering on cheeky as naveen continues. “you were willing to help when tiana and i were mere, slimy frogs; you can count on us being by your side when the, going gets tough, as you say.”

the king grins, placing his palms upon lottie’s shoulders. “now - why don’t we pay tiana a visit? her cooking never seems to fail putting a beautiful smile on your face.”

“…if you reach for it again I’ll be cross with you. “  the vein in which her words took however was unapologetic towards the notion of constructed threat, each letter suffused with the feeling of a cat looking one in the eye before sliding an object closer to the edge of a table and watching it shatter. there was no anger, no true upset bone in the body—lies, persephone is a certified bear trap waiting to snare, to rip flesh, to snap bone— if her company decided to ignore her words and remove the flower crowns, as how could she not gift two, from their head where they lopsidedly resided. 

encased in the field within her far reaching greenhouse humming with so much vitality her fingers quivered with the energy expelled from surrounding greenery whispering their happiness in her ears. she was home, not surface bound until a long while and so resolved in indulging herself. gorging herself. on the peace found. this moment one of many. “ okay, okay. I’ll promise to put the camera away if you keep them on during our picnic. “

.

“but it isn’t symmetrical.” hades points out with a raised eyebrow, a hint of withheld joy in his eyes at the return of his wife. boldly, he reaches again - slowly, as he is well aware of her temper - to correct the crown atop persephone’s head. the flowers nudge against dark hair, and the back of hades’ fingers come to trail the jawline of his queen in a warm gesture.

“that’s better, isn’t it?” he teases, eyes resting on the camera. the sight makes him pull away, slightly shielding his face. “a picnic? did you trick me out of my quick lunch to have a picnic with you? seph, you know i’m busy...” hades chastises, though with very little malice.

the night was not going to plan, well in those near rare moments when she did allow something of the like to map itself out in her skull of which demanded to be followed closely, nearly to a ‘t’ but charlotte rolled with what she was dealt. lately. occasionally. “ it’s fine. “ no, no it was not and the brief answer that left her lips was telling as was the beginnings of watery eyes that would not be acknowledged. 

the drink within her glass, flamingo-something, was tropical with ice and sweet rose flavoring mixed in with the alcohol. it matched her pink kitten heels with little bows on the back, paired with a shockingly not pink dress decked in silver sparkles. thankfully on the receiving end of nothing while her shoes begged to differ. 

she shouldn’t have. it wasn’t a parlor trick or something to flash around so easily. there were those that hated magic, anyone that breathed it’s wonders was scrutinized. her fingertips grazed the air, hand swiping left in a simple cleaning spell all children learned. then. “ you owe me another drink. “ sadly whoever the rest of her beverage fell upon was not in such a lightened mood.

.

a flicker of annoyance passes through milo, just barely apparent in the tightening of his lip. it mingles with genuine worry over the stranger - after all, he can sympathize with not wanting a drink splashed over his clothes. however, his mild frustration towards this woman’s rudeness wins over for the moment.

milo’s attention is quickly diverted when the mess all but lifts from her dress. out of reflex, the man grips the glowing blue jewel that rests around his neck. any previous annoyance disappears in favor of his natural curiosity. “that’s...you’re...” milo stutters, mentally taking note of the spell(?) that she casted. 

“well, with whatever powers you have, couldn’t you just summon another drink yourself?” the question is asked a third in amusement, a third with apprehension, and a third with excitement over the woman’s answer. 

“oh - oh, i didn’t mean to...” milo’s eyes are wide when he realizes what damage he’s done. he had swung a little too hard, far too engrossed in his dog-eared book to be aware of his own environment. the drink in the other’s hand flew, crashing to the floor and splashing their shoes with liquid - oh, he wondered if it would stain.

the worry and shock are apparent in the draw of milo’s eyebrows. “you should, probably, start dabbing that s-so it doesn’t ruin the fabric,” he babbles nervously, blinking twice and looking up with a sorry expression. milo shuts his mouth to prevent further unnecessary words from leaving loose lips.

“or i could leave you to, that, and i could get you another drink...?” he suggests, taking a hesitant step towards the counter.

zeus’ first instinct is to frown, reluctantly tearing his eyes off the latest maiden he has fixated himself on. what his gaze settles on is a much less interesting sight; it’s of apollo’s scowl, piercing eyes (that he gets from yours truly, mind you) that threaten to tear zeus’ skin if he were to step close. he doesn’t quite understand the reason behind apollo’s latest statement, though zeus could guess it has something to do with the way his hand flits up his little maiden’s back, eliciting a shy giggle. zeus breaks into an easy smile, whispering softly into her ear.

“if you could just give me a moment, dear,” the pleading is teasing and gentle, with an underlying promise of a reward for her later. she scurries, and zeus lets out a loud sigh, slowly turning towards apollo. 

“what is it this time, my son?” he asks through bored eyes, though they twinkle in amusement at the frustration in apollo’s gaze.

“you heard what i said.” he spits. zeus waves it off, summoning a goblet of ambrosia. 

“oh, yes, that i’m a joke.” zeus grins, taking a sip and collapsing back into a seat. “then, apollo, what does that make you?”

the question is targeted, though his expression shows amused ignorance. “because if i’m a joke, well then - i do believe that makes you twice as bad, hm?” there’s a flicker of smug joy he gets from the shocked anger in apollo’s eyes, before he defaults back to his usual mirth. 

“never forget that i, quite literally, made you who you are.”

“i’m nothing like you -” apollo hisses. 

“but you are, aren’t you?” zeus interrupts, wide-eyed and smiling. polished teeth reveal themselves in a dangerous grin-turned-snarl. “you’re my flesh and fucking metaphorical blood, and that’s never going to change - so if you know what’s good for you, you’d better start accepting it.”

he leans to cheerfully pat apollo’s shoulder, unphased when the sun god jerks backwards. “you’re my son. people would kill to be part of the family.”

“with how often you get your dick wet, it’s hard not to be part of the family.” apollo fires back. zeus’ eyes narrow.

“my advice? get laid. it’d do you some good.” zeus raises a brow, idly swirling the liquid in his golden glass. then he smirks, regarding apollo with curiosity. “but if you’re having trouble, as your father, i’d be more than happy to sit down and - ”

“never.” the sun god scoffs, turning away in disgust. zeus lets out a boisterous laugh that rings within the palace walls. 

“oh, no trouble then? attaboy - i knew you were just like me after all!” he teases, only raising his voice as apollo quickens his footsteps out of the room.

“you...you get used to it.” the words are slow to leave pluto’s mouth, as is the ichor that oozes over his hand. juno’s warm touch quickly covers the wound that gapes from his ribs. he gasps and shudders. even for an immortal god, war is still brutal, having left gashes that streak across his chest. 

“you need rest.” juno whispers sternly. all he can think of, is how beautiful she looks amidst blood-encrusted, blonde strands.

“don’t you think it’s our duty as gods to be numb to death, anyways?” he barrels on, as if she hadn’t spoken. pluto’s eyes search juno’s, as delicate fingers help to dress fresh wounds. 

“that’s quite cynical of you to say, pluto.” perhaps if he digs deeper, he can find mild humor swimming beneath her words. 

“i think it’s how we survive this war.” pluto pauses to hiss when juno brushes over something raw. he holds back a groan, but the crystals that emerge from the earth beneath them betray the true pain he is in. even as juno steadies her hand, worry stricken in mesmerizing eyes, pluto continues. 

“there’s no time to mourn every soul. not now.” the bandages wrapped around his torso, just a few minutes fresh, have already begun to darken red-tinged gold as ichor seeps from his skin. pluto raises tired eyes, unable to hide the shimmer of longing hope that always seems to plague him in juno’s presence.

“I have to tell myself that to focus on the ones that matter to me.” and there it is - the silence that hangs between them. unspoken words remain unspoken, even as the sound of rolling bandages gives way to quietness. 

juno is the one that breaks. “war is an ugly thing.”

“but death is not. when the war is over, i will honor those lost souls for you - even the ones lost by our own hands.” he promises. i will do anything for you, he doesn’t say. these comforting words are enough to bring a smile to juno’s sun-kissed cheeks.

“cynical and hopeful. what a combination.” she chuckles, tying his bandages. 

“a combination reserved for -” he pauses, letting forbidden words die on his tongue, “ - for dire circumstances such as these.” pluto then squeezes her hand in thanks, a cracked lip turning into a half-hearted smile. he only wonders if juno is aware his thanks extends past the countless wounds that she has fixed.

“You know I’m only joking, Axel,” she smiled, “I get you have things to do, I’m only giving you a hard time. Though, I’d like to see more of you, I miss our get togethers”

“you sure you miss the get togethers, or do you just miss the sex?” axel asks bluntly, rolling his eyes. they are comfortable enough in their friendship to tease and joke the way they do - and axel has to admit that he has missed their biting conversations as well.

“On a total jerk!” she squeaked. Though high-pitched, her voice had strong accent that could be pinpointed as from northern New Jersey. She fumbled for her phone, and opened up a photo of her missing date. “He stood me up!” she said. “And like, he doesn’t have a cute enough face for me to forgive him.” 

axel can’t lie to himself. he’s amused. he finds it adorable for a stranger to wear their heart on their sleeve the way this woman is currently doing. he also, however, can’t say that the expression he wears isn’t out of a little concern.

“oh, come now,” axel chuckles, after taking a look at her phone. “there are plenty of prettier faces all around you now.”

He can’t help but let a quiet chuckle escape past his lips after he hears Axel’s comment, tempted to tease him about how cheesy it sounded but instead of saying something right away, Isaiah leans closer as well to indulge in the kiss. The hand that was previously holding Axel’s is now rested on his cheek, gentle and careful not to cause pain on the bruises he gained in his fight.

But eventually, Isaiah pulls away with a smile on his face, but continues close to Axel. “Do you want dinner now?”

with the chaos that comes with not only being a horseman but running the horsemen, there are rare moments of peace that axel finds these days. isaiah has always been his anchor, and axel finds himself savoring the beautiful stillness that comes with feelings isaiah’s lips against his own. he sighs when izzy pulls away, brutish ways temporarily forgotten with a gentle brush of his nose against isaiah’s cheek. 

“yes, that sounds wonderful.” he smiles, opening his eyes to take the other man in with every sweep of his gaze.

“I mean before this, this is the first time I’ve seen you in weeks,” she admitted, “are you too busy for a dear friend?” she gasped, hand on chest. “I’m not hurt, just disappointed’

“i have things to do, dear.” axel rolls his eyes, smiling easily. “i can’t exactly set aside time for you the way i used to. there are things i must do for my horsemen that take priority over you. don’t take it personally.”

“Don’t mind if I do, boss,” he hummed, gladly taking a seat beside him and ordering a drink for himself. “I heard about the raid, things went good, right?”

“yes.” axel grins, welcoming his friend into the shared space. “it did - with little to no injuries on our end. we were sad to miss you.”

to the outside eye, it would certainly appear as though roger were staring ahead, completely absentminded… oh, but it couldn’t be farther from the truth ! sure, he was staring straight ahead – i guess that part’s true – but his mind was, as always, clouded with thoughts. he didn’t dare bring his notes to such a public area, much less a public area filled with thoughtless drunks who could spill their drinks on them easier than the average bird, but he’d looked over them so many times… you know, he could probably recite them all by heart.

but that wasn’t why he was supposed to be there, right ? he was supposed to meet a friend, one who’d insisted he go out more, but… when the man beside him made himself known, what was getting a head start ? why, would his friend not be proud of him ? with a simple shrug, he downed the shot, briefly flung back to his college days when that single earring that he’d worn once ( yes, he’d since removed the piercing entirely ) had earned him the nickname ‘sinbad.’ although he wasn’t looking to start a conversation, saying something was just common courtesy. “ special occasion ? ” –– he could’ve chosen a better, less conversational, thing to say.

“i never need a special occasion to drink, but yes, in this case, it just so happens to be one.” axel says gleefully, amusement twinkling in dark eyes. he grins at the man beside him as he takes the shot offered. he has never had a problem connecting with strangers of all kinds (just as long as they weren’t human), charisma always being one of his stronger traits.

“a successful riot. another day where my horsemen are safe and stand to be a pillar for other mutants.”

“ in what way was it a success honey pot ? “ though inquiring an answer to that was null, she’d seen and heard the buzz, all busy bees eager to tell the tale of a triumphant protest to any that would lend an ear, however, they were smart about who they spoke to. 

the grin widened. “  if I was projecting as you say, horsemen. are you the confessional? “

“another day for my horsemen to be safe.” at the expense of many bigoted humans, but it was worth it to see his horsemen safe. “as always, it will be a sign for all mutants out there that we are fighting for their safety.”